Improved



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

WILLIAM H. TOWERS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEDWATER-PROOP FABRIC FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF TRAV= ELING-BAG-S,TRUNKS, CARRIAGE-TOPS, AND OTHER ARTICLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 73,139, dated January7, 1868.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Townes, ofBoston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Proof Fabrics; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

The nature of my invention consists in making an improved water-proof,enameled, or glazed fabric, suitable for the manufacture oftraveling-bags, trunks, valises, carriage-tops, table covers, pianocovers, furniture-covers, and the like articles, by combining one ormore sheets of paper with one or more folds of any strong textilefabric, such as muslin,

sheeting, duck, linen, or parchment-paper, and

finishing the surface of the paper with a coating of enamel, so as toresemble what is known as patent-leather. From the nature of thematerials in my fabric it is quite strong and durable, and in manyrespectsequal to patentleather, while it can be afforded at much lesscost, and of any size required. I

The following description will enable others to make and use myinvention.

For preparing a fabric suitable for making traveling-bags, I take strongbult' paper and cement it to cotton cloth, muslin, hempen cloth, orcoarse linen, with paste, cement, or size. A water-proof cement willmake the article more durable, but is not necessary, since the enamelapplied to the paper will render the whole water-proof. This compoundfabric of paper and cloth is then coated on the paper side with theenamel well known in the manufacture of patent-leather, or anyequivalent coating which will produce a similar efiect.

The materials for, and the process of, applying enamel to leather, beingwell known, need not be particularly described.

To render the process more flexible, the paper used may be impregnatedwith glycerine.

Any strong paper may be used instead of buff paper, and one or morethicknesses may be employed, according as a thinner or thicker fabric isrequired.

Instead of using cotton cloth, linen, duck,

sheeting, or other equivalent fabric may he used.

' Manila paper, such as is now used for the manufacture of paperbelting, may be substituted for the woven fabric. This paper may also befirst converted into what is known as vegetable-parchment. Y

By this process a fabric is produced identical in outward appearancewith patent-leather, and a good substitute for that article in manymanufactures. The enamel combines thoroughly with the paper. This fabricmay be ornamented by painting, stamping, printing, or gilding.

By pasting a sheet of paper on bothsides of the muslin or other wovenfabric, a fabric enameled on one or both sides may be produced.

The fabric above described may be made to resemble leather still more bysaturating the fibrous materials of which it is composed with glue orgelatine and then treating it with tannin or tannic acid, so as toconvert the whole into an artificial leather.

XVaterproofing materials, such as resins, gums, collodion, drying-oils,wax, paratline,

and the like may be combined with the fabric either by adding them tothe cement which unites the several sheets making up the compoundfabric, or by treating the sheets before combining, or by saturating thefabric after it is formed. Glycerine will serve to remove and to preventharshness and brittleness in the fabric, and gives the necessarysoftness and pliability.

By combining white lead, oxide of zinc, oxide of iron, or other oxidesand pigments, with the cement, greater body may be given to the fabric.

Having thus described my invent-ion, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The improved fabric, made substantially as herein described.

2. The combination of one or more thicknesses of paper with awovenfabric, and finishing the same with enamel, substantially as hereindescribed. I

3. The manufacture of traveling bags,

trunks, valises, table-covers, carriage-tops, and similar articles, bycombining enameled paper with other textile fabric, substantially asdescribed.-

4. The application of glycerine to compound fabrics of paper and cloth,such as herein described, to render them tough and pliable,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of gums, resins, paraffine, collodion, drying-oils,and the like, with a fabric composed of paper and cloth, substantiallyas described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have aflixed mysignature, in presence of two witnesses, this 21st day of December,1867.

' WM. H. TOWERS. Witnesses:

JOHN S. HOLLlNGSHEAD, E. J. KLOPFER.

